Decatur weather in January

In January, Decatur sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 4.9 in of precipitation across 9.9 wet days and about 9.9 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 51°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Decatur's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Decatur's year-round climate.

Daytime high
51°
12th warmest
Overnight low
35°
1st coldest
Precipitation
4.9 in
9.9 wet days
Daylight
9 h 54 min
7:00 AM – 4:55 PM
Cloud cover
60%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.5 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.4
out of 10

Decatur is city in Morgan and Limestone counties, Alabama, United States.

Density
354/km²
people per km²
Founded
1821

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 51°F through the month.

A typical January day in Decatur reaches about 51°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 3°F cooler than December and about 4°F cooler than February.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15136
25136
35136
45136
55136
65135
75035
85035
95035
105035
115035
125035
135035
145035
155034
165034
175034
185034
195034
205034
215034
225134
235134
245134
255134
265134
275135
285135
295235
305235
315235

How January really feels in Decatur

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Decatur weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 35°4.99.90.69.92.4
Feb55° / 38°4.710.40.610.73.4
Mar63° / 45°5.511.40.211.75.4
Apr71° / 53°5.010.1012.86.6
May79° / 62°4.210.9013.86.5
Jun86° / 69°4.312.6014.34.8
Jul88° / 72°4.213.1014.14.2
Aug88° / 71°3.111.5013.34.4
Sep83° / 65°3.57.7012.26.3
Oct73° / 53°3.47.4011.17.3
Nov61° / 43°4.08.50.110.25.4
Dec53° / 37°5.210.70.39.73.0

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24060
34060
43961
53961
63961
73961
83961
93862
104060
114060
124060
134060
144060
154159
164159
174357
184357
194456
204555
214654
224753
234753
244753
254753
264852
274852
284852
294753
304852
314654

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Decatur gets around 4.9 in of rain and snow over 9.9 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 32% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1331
2331
3332
4332
5332
6332
7332
8332
9332
10332
11332
12332
13332
14332
15332
16332
17332
18332
19322
20322
21322
22322
23312
24312
25312
26312
27312
28312
29312
30312
31312

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19343
29343
39343
49253
59253
69253
79352
89352
99352
109352
119352
129352
139451
149451
159451
169541
179541
189541
199541
209541
219640
229640
239640
249640
259640
269640
279541
289541
299541
309541
319541

Wind in January

Winds average 7 mph in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 42 min at the start of January to 10 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 36 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:00 AM to 6:53 AM, and sunset from 4:43 PM to 5:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.77:004:43
29.77:004:43
39.77:004:44
49.77:004:45
59.87:004:46
69.87:004:46
79.87:004:47
89.87:004:48
99.87:004:49
109.87:004:50
119.87:004:50
129.97:004:51
139.97:004:52
149.97:004:53
159.97:004:54
169.97:004:55
179.96:594:56
1810.06:594:57
1910.06:594:58
2010.06:594:58
2110.06:584:59
2210.06:585:00
2310.16:585:01
2410.16:575:02
2510.16:575:03
2610.16:565:04
2710.26:565:05
2810.26:555:06
2910.26:555:07
3010.26:545:08
3110.36:535:09

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 2.5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.2 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — January's 2.5 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.2Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.2Moderate
52.2Moderate
62.3Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.3Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.4Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.6Moderate
212.6Moderate
222.7Moderate
232.7Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.8Moderate
292.9Moderate
302.9Moderate
312.9Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Decatur

In seasonPeak

None of Decatur's seasonal hazards are active in January. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Decatur sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Decatur?

Our two travel scores rate January for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

2.4
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Decatur.

What to pack for Decatur in January

From January's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In January, Decatur sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Decatur in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Decatur peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Decatur in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Decatur is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Decatur?

Decatur sits at 34.6°N, 87.0°W, 561 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Athens, 14 mi away.

Topography around Decatur

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Decatur.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Decatur has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 ft around an average of 571 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 505 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,621 ft.

The land around Decatur is covered by trees (31%), water (30%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (43%) and cropland (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (62%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
138 ft
10 miles
505 ft
50 miles
1,621 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
January weather nearby: Athens 14 mi · Madison 15 mi · Huntsville 24 mi · Cullman 31 mi · East Florence 40 mi · Florence 42 mi · Albertville 50 mi · Dixiana 63 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Decatur (34.6059°, -86.9833°, elevation 561 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).